City looks to tighten gun controls

San Francisco Supervisor Mark Farrell introduced gun control reforms Tuesday that include the videotaping of all gun and ammunition sales in San Francisco and requires firearm dealers to regularly share ammunition sales data with the San Francisco Police Department.

Farrell said he believes that despite the city having some of the strictest gun laws in the country, access to guns and ammunition remains easy and contributes to “senseless violent crime here in San Francisco and across the country.” He maintains that gaps exist in federal, state, and local regulatory oversight of firearms dealers and ammunition sellers and that his proposed reforms will ensure illegal trafficking of weapons and ammunition by firearm dealers and their employees doesn’t go undetected.

Additionally, Farrell said the reforms aim to prevent the theft of firearms and ammunition from dealers and to detect the sale of firearms and ammunition to individuals who are prohibited by law from possessing them.

Farrell’s gun control package also requires the dealer to electronically transmit information about their ammunition sales to police on a weekly basis and then hold onto those records for up to five years.

The data would include the date of the transaction as well as the name, address and date of birth of the buyer. A driver’s license or other government issued identification card would also be documented, along with details about the firearm or ammunition purchased.

Farrell said that some California jurisdictions already have similar ordinances, but that San Francisco currently lacks such a law.

The supervisor also noted that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is severely understaffed and can’t provide the needed oversight of the firearm industry.

He said that by providing local law enforcement video records of gun sales, it could prevent crime and help complete investigations.